Here are the websites, books, courses, podcasts, and tools that I couldn’t live without as a freelance writer.

I’ve included some affiliate links to products I use and love — thanks for supporting Where to Pitch!

Websites

Who Pays Writers: This brilliant site was the inspiration for Where to Pitch. Go here to see how much different publications pay — and don’t forget to submit your own experiences!

The Write Life: One of the most comprehensive writing sites on the web, with tons of posts on freelancing.

Alexis Grant: Without Lexi, I wouldn’t have the career I do today. She’s a (former) journalist, a traveler, and the executive editor of The Penny Hoarder. I always learn a lot from her insightful blog posts.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott: Classic writing book, and originator of the “shitty first draft.” Clearly she’s a hero.

Storycraft by Jack Hart: A deep dive into the art of writing narrative nonfiction.

Essentialism by Greg McKeown and 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam: As a freelance writer, you have a million balls in the air — which is why I loved these authors’ approaches to managing time and determining what really matters.

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie: Even in this lone-wolf field, you need to win over clients and editors and the like. This book’s guided my life philosophy for years.

Courses

Writers.com: In their words, this site “remains a rock in a sea of audit-only and feedback-light classes.” If you want to get your hands dirty with a writing course, this is where to go. I’m taking Pitch Like a Honey Badger right now — and it’s fantastic!

Website Stuff

Tyler Hammett: Shameless plug for my boy toy. If you need a clean, responsive, and AFFORDABLE website, shoot him an email.

Social Media Tools

Buffer: Build your platform by sharing interesting articles with just one click — at times optimal for your audience. It’s free to schedule 10 articles at a time, or $10/month for the unlimited plan.

Feedly: Not that I ever log into it, but in theory, this is a great way to keep up with blogs and news sources.

Money

FreshBooks: This accounting program is FREE (for up to three clients) and super simple to use. My favorite part? It lets you send invoices that have a flat 50-cent fee. I also use it for tracking my time and recording expenses.

Mint: As a freelancer, money is a constant headache. Mint helps (a little bit). Keep track of all of your bank accounts, credit cards, investments, and loans in one place.

Digit: It’s nearly impossible to save on a varied income. Luckily, Digit does it for you. It connects to your bank account and uses some sort of magic algorithm to determine how much money it can safely withdraw into a separate savings account. In the past two years, it’s helped me saved more than $5,000!

Productivity

Trello: An awesome organizational tool that helps you track your life and your business.

HelloSign: Sign and send contracts from your phone. Enough said. (Sign up through my link, and we both get a free doc!)

Pocket: With one click, add articles to your “pocket” for later — and get rid of all those tabs!

Rapportive: Curious if you’ve gotten an editor’s email address right? This free tool syncs LinkedIn and Gmail so you immediately know when you’ve hit the jackpot.

Boomerang: Schedule emails to send later, or return to your inbox if they haven’t been answered in a certain amount of time. (Not that that ever happens with pitches…) You get 10 messages per month with the free version; unlimited costs $4.99/month.